Washington's Birthday & the Colonial Ball

Happy Presidents Day! In her early days, Coe would celebrate George Washington's birthday with an assembly that included a debate and a reception hosted by the women students.

1893 Program

1892 Program

From a March 1, 1906  article in the Cosmos, it was mentioned that the women faculty and students of Williston Hall (the original women's dormitory) held a reception and provided refreshments and even little axes as souvenirs.

1924 Colonial Ball

Colonial Ball dance performance 1950s

Starting in 1911, the day's festivities concluded with the Colonial Ball. This was an even where the women students could show off their dance and athletic skills. They would dress in colonial costumes and perform for their fellow Kohawks and members of the public. Two senior women are honored by being named as George and Martha Washington. This tradition continued for many years, the final ball was held in February of 1961.

Marquis Court

Did you know in 1947, Coe arranged for 15 housing units for married veterans and their families? This allowed the vet to still easily attend classes at Coe. The units were built by the Federal Public Housing Authority and ownership was initially retained by the government until two years after the war, and then they belonged fully to Coe College.

A photo of the huts from the 1948 yearbook

Each unit (known as a Quonset hut) had two bedrooms, a living room with a kitchenette, two closets and a bathroom. The units also came furnished with a gas space heater, a stove, and a water heater. Bed linens, however, could be rented from the government if the couple wished!

It was named Marquis Court after a former president of Coe. The huts happily housed up to 26 couples and 7 children (Coe Cosmos October 18, 1950) as well as a canary, three dogs, and a skunk! Over time, the buildings became run down and housed fewer students, so they were finally abandoned and demolished in 1960.

A group of students and pets share dinner

Text from the 1949 Courier about the huts

On this day in history...

Voorhees was occupied for the first time! March 15, 1915 was the first time students spent the night in the dormitory. 

Construction started in mid 1914 and was intended to be finished by the fall semester, but was delayed until late February 1915. It was built to accommodate 65 girls and included included a reception hall, apartments for the dean of women, community bathrooms, a kitchenette, a laundry, and the Frog Pond. Rooms in the dormitory ranged from $120-130 per semester (about $3,000 in today's money).  

Main parlor & music room, around 1915
Credit: George T Henry Archives

The $50,000 to build it was donated by Elizabeth Voorhees, who specifically wanted a dormitory for women. Three years later, she donated again to expand the building to accommodate more students.

Small west parlor, around 1915
Credit: George T Henry Archives

Small west parlor, 2000
Credit: George T Henry

Mary Low Bowers '43, studying in room 339, around 1942
Credit: Kathryn Marie Flew '43

To see even more photos and read articles, handbooks and many other things related to Voorhees, stop by the archives!

What I did last summer.......

Over the summer I worked in the library archives developing a finding aid for part of the William Shirer Collection. Shirer, a journalist from Cedar Rapids popular for his memoirs of fascist Germany and Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, donated his entire collection of documents to the college archives near the end of his career. My job was to read through a collection of his personal correspondence from the year 1979 and create a document that summarized the collection and contained subject headings for important events and persons of note mentioned in the letters.

It was interesting to get a peek into the personal life of a famous author and journalist, as well as see the sorts of acquaintances Shirer had made throughout his life. Many of the letters Shirer received were from aspiring journalists and novelists hoping to get some advice about the writing process. Overall I enjoyed the experience, even if it did get a bit tedious sorting through his letters for the third time. ~~Eric

Training in Field House

Training in 2nd field house, Coe College 1881-1920s

Anatomy Class 1935

Anatomy Class 1935

Early Chemistry Lab

Early Chemistry Lab 1881-1920

Members of Alpha Nu, 1912

Alpha Nu photograph, 1912

Stephen Phelps with students

Stephen Phelps was Coe College's first president (1881-1886).  He is standing on the right with a group of Coe students.

Campus Views 1910

Coe College campus views January 13&14, 1910. Taken by Harry Petersen Corner, signed walker (developer?).

Coe's First Cross Country Squad

Coe College's First Cross County Squad circa 1920s.

Colonial Party

Early Colonial Party at Coe College, 1881-1920s.

Concert in Sinclair Chapel

Coe College, early concert in Sinclair Chapel 1911-1920s.

 

Chapel Fire

Coe College, T.M. Sinclair Memorial Chapel, September 5, 1947.

Sinclair Memorial Chapel

Sinclair Memorial Chapel 1911-1947, Coe College.

Ground Breaking of Sinclair Memorial Chapel

Ground breaking for Sinclair Memorial Chapel, Coe College, June 15, 1910.

Girls Glee Club

Coe College Girls Glee Club, circa 1928.

Tug of War 1908

Coe College Freshman vs. Sophomore Tug of War, 1908. 

Memorial Day 1912

Memorial Day 2012, Coe College Campus.

May Fete 1923

 

Coe College May Fete, 1923.